Ghost tales at Lancaster Castle

The seventh annual celebration of ghost stories, by Demi-paradise productions, will come to Shire Hall on October 16 and 17 at 7.30pm.

In the run up to Hallowe’en four actors from the castle’s resident professional theatre company will give intimate readings of contemporary and classic stories in the low lit historic crown court, library, drop room and cells.

Philip Martin is a Lancaster-based writer and The Forgetting is the company’s first commissioned story.

Inspired by Philip’s experience at last year’s event, it delves into the real and imagined dark history of the castle. Internationally renowned Anglo-American author Lionel Shriver (We Need to talk About Kevin) has granted Demi-paradise the right to voice her story Repossession, a modern day morality story set in London which gives a disturbing and witty new twist to the familiar ‘haunted house’ scenario.

With vast collective experience through the media of BBC radio drama, audio books and live theatre readers this year are Peter Rylands, Alex Mathie.

In The Violet Car a nurse goes to care for an elderly couple haunted by the driverless car that hit and killed their daughter. The tale’s author Edith Nesbit is often thought of as the impossibly romantic and genteel author of The Railway Children. In truth, her life was an unconventional and haunted one.

Tickets for adults are £8, £6.50 children over 11 and students. To book call 01524 64998 or call at Castle Visitor Centre 9.30am – 5pm daily.